The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-01-20
DIR. CALVIN n. WILEY.

In the O6dLn OF New. OALN1N Il.
WILEY, D. D., the State of North
Carolina loses one of her ablest and
most distinguished intellectual leaders
and the town of Winston, most val
ued and Jealous citizen. We publish
in this issue the editorial comments
made upon his death by Mr.. T. B.
K1NGsBuRY, of the Wilmington Star
and we regret that we haven't room
also for a similar article from the pen
of Ex-Governor w. w. HOLDEN,
which appeared in the Raleigh Visi-
tor.
In the summer Of 1881 the editor Of
The SENTINEL, then connected with
the Washington City Capital in an
article on Southern Education, wrote
the following in reference. to DIR.
WILEY, which we think will bear
repetition now:
North Cardinals common-school
system was first put in operation in
1910, and fourished but poorly until
1851, when the office Of State Super
intendent was created, and Rev. G.
II. Wiley, D. D., was made the first
incumbent. Although DIR. Wiley
was a member of the old Wing party,
which was then in the minority, he
was regularly reelected every two
years for qnite number ofterms. and
invariably by unanimous vote. These
are truthful indications that he made
an unusually faithful and efficient
officer, and if we study the history of
the times in which the most active
days of his life were spent, we will see
upon every hand the fruits of his schol-
arly management. Mr.. Hart, the
rhetorician, but family expresses it
when he says of him in his American
Literature :" "In his position of State
Superintendent Mr.. Wiley achieved a
great and noble work; and at the
time when the war broke out North
Carolina was probably further advanc-
ed in popular education, and mainly
throug h his prudent and patriotic eff
forts, than any other Southern State"
She was not only further advanced in
common school education, but the
seats of higher learning we're crowded
with students and every college and
academy enjoyed prosperity never
experienced before or since. The
State University at the beginning Of
the war had near five hundred stud
en:: 5 gathered within its classic walls
representing all the States s'from the
Potomac to the Rio Grande," and as
President Battle said, cts sons had
been prominent in all the walks of
life, had filled all the posts of useful
ness and honor, had scaled all the
heights of ambition, even to the post,
greater than the throne of kings, the
Presidency of the great republic"
Its light fickered on through the
dark years of this bitter struggle, un-
til Fitzpatrick came at the close of the
war with his clanking cavalry through
the streets of the quiet little village,
then the feeble light expired and edu-
cation was left in outer darkness.
For long years the classic "HilP'
slumbered on, with naught to disturb
its unavoidable lethargy save the Sc
pulchral tones of some acclimated
owl, or the Tapping wings of bat
relieved now and then by the gleeful
voices of happy children who sport
on the campus sward, which now re-
echoes no sounds of joyous shouts from
students mouths in token of some
triumph at bat and ball. The old
mother sleeps on in her wealth of
classic dust and along with her, many
others ..succumb to the inevitable, and,
closing her doors, send their eager
throng off to the wars, even Though
the conflict is nearing its end.
feel that we are to accomplish grand
things in the way of education before
many years have sped their length
and it is the sincerest hope of every
true-hearted Carolinian that the day
is not tar distant when we will see our
school system working as successfully
as when the plastic fingers Of DR..
Wiley shaped its destinies and made
it glorious reality and an uncontro-
vertible power.
AT meeting of the Medical Soci-